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Tatterdemalion

Demon, TatterdemalionThe grubby little beggar in the alley corner huddles in its rags, until it scuttles toward you, its rags revealed to be flowing, filthy hair, swirling over black claws and a fiendish visage.

The forgotten living refuse of large cities, casualties of the constant upward climb of the propertied, the poor and destitute are often thought of as the price of progress- even of civilization. The poor and ragged are everywhere, it seems, and the Abyssal forces of chaos and evil have noticed. Demons spawned on the Material Plane, tatterdemalions spring up in places of squalor and deprivation. Though their original demonic form may have been one designed in the Abyss as an infiltrator, it is believed that tatterdemalions no longer reside in the Outer Planes. Tatterdemalions are thought to spontaneously occur when children are confined to extreme squalor in dire slums, work camps, or dangerous mines and sewers. Some magical influence is likely involved, as well, as these dangerous midgets are often associated with cults or street gangs. Though these beings no longer need to survive as mortal beings do, they are compelled to wreak destruction on those with possessions, to rip apart their finery and shiny armor, and lay them waste, more filth to decorate dank streets and tunnels.

Tatterdemalions are clever and are far more concerned with self-preservation than most of their extraplanar kind, as their sole forms reside on their native, Material plane. They converse with evil mortals who share their domain, and cooperate readily to achieve their hazy goals of destruction and mayhem. Few who share their domain even realize their inhumanity, as they cloak themselves with flowing swatches of hair, and work form the darkness, using their magic powers to disappear. A gang of these demons is a serious destructive force, but are usually noticed by the authorities, bringing their chaotic rampage to an early end. In certain circumstances, tatterdemalions are confused with mischievous fey creatures, which has caused animosity between the disparate creatures.

On Porphyra
Tatterdemalions were brought en masse to Porphyra as Fifth Column infiltrators during the NewGods War, to disrupt Elementalist cities and camps, and generally increase the level of mayhem. They were also used against the fey of the Holdfast, a tactic that has resulted in centuries of animosity. Gangs of tatterdemalions still exist in large cities, and these packs of native demons replenish their ranks with abandoned children they transform in demonic rituals.